The Rise of Skywalker
by Meredith Sinclair
Summary: A story that follows the basic outline of the movie, but I attempt to NOT retcon the rest of the movies, give Ben Solo the ending he deserves, and mostly stick to established Star Wars lore - just to show that it can be done! With a little bit of Stormpilot thrown in.
1. Chapter 1

"My boy" the distorted, raspy, ancient voice whispered.

In the darkness of his chambers, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren jerked awake, his hand reaching for his lightsaber instinctively, but not igniting it. This awful voice had awoken him often since his ascension as Supreme Leader, and he knew there would be no one in his chambers to strike down. The voice was in his head, drowning out the chorus of the others he had heard throughout his lifetime. He didn't know who's voice it was. Certainly not his father, it held no warmth or affection. Not Supreme Leader Snoke or Lord Vader, they had never called him "My boy". He set the lightsaber back on the bedside table, sighed, ran his hands through his hair and scrubbed at his face with his palms. Not for the first time, he wondered if the strain of being the Supreme Leader was getting to him, causing him to hallucinate a new voice in his head. He blew out an exasperated breath and sat up to begin another day. Before he could command the lights on, the voice spoke again, startling him; he had never heard this voice when he was awake.

"My boy," it rasped again.

"Who are you?" the Supreme Leader demanded.

"I have been every voice," The tone changed, now it was Snoke, snarling at him in his familiar angry, condescending voice.

"You have ever heard," The voice changed again, becoming the familiar, almost calming deep tones of Lord Vader.

"Inside your head."

"Grandfather?" Ren asked, trying to keep the pleading hope out of his voice, but there was no reply.

"Lights," he grumbled. The illumination in his chamber slowly rose to his preferred levels. He dressed, attached his lightsaber to his belt, sat behind his desk and grabbed his data pad. Reviewing the morning reports from his High Command, he was satisfied to read that the Star Destroyers being built in the Unknown Regions shipyards were nearly complete. Last year's battle with the Resistance that began at D'Qar and ended near Crait had decimated their heavy cruiser fleet. Fully informed on the day's business, he left his chambers and headed to his private office near the bridge of his new flagship, the _Steadfast. _The troopers guarding his office stepped aside and the door slid open. He was furious to see someone sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He had hand-picked and personally trained the guards for all his private spaces and he had not given authorization for anyone to enter his office this morning. His guards should have immediately sized and imprisoned anyone attempting to enter any of his private quarters. He angrily strode across his office.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "How did you get in here?"

The man rose. "Good morning Supreme Leader Ren. I am Allegiant General Enric Pryde. Your guards proved surprisingly easy to manipulate. You have not trained them very well," he spoke with a cordial tone, as if greeting a friend.

Ren raised his arm to slam this inferior to the ground for his insolence. Before he could finish the gesture, the man slightly raised his own hand and gave a small dismissive wave. Ren was swept up in a power stronger than anything he had ever felt and smashed against the wall.

"Guards!" he shouted. The doors of both entrances to his office flew open and three troopers rushed in from each side. Using both hands, general gave another small gesture towards both groups. They were flung out of the room and the doors slammed shut behind them.

Ren picked himself up off the floor and stumbled to his desk and sat as the man simply watched him, smiling indulgently. "Who are you?" Ren asked the man in again, almost in a whisper. General Pryde resumed his seat as well.

"Reach out with your feelings. You will find my identity there," General Pryde smugly answered. Ren closed his eyes, calmed his breathing and centered himself in the Force. He let himself feel the presence in the room. When the name came to him, his eyes flew open and he jumped to his feet.

"That's not possible!" he exclaimed. "He's dead."

The general spoke again, but the voice that came from him was not the smooth voice he had used to greet Ren. It was the ancient growl he had heard this morning. As he spoke Ren slowly sunk back into his chair.

"No, my boy," he rasped. "The entire galaxy believed that I was murdered by my apprentice who chose to protect an unworthy Jedi over his destiny to serve at my side and eventually take his rightful place as ruler of the galaxy. However, just as Vader released my body into the reactor core, I transferred my essence to the only other living thing in the room that wasn't Jedi. One of my loyal Imperial Guards who had entered my chamber upon hearing my struggle with Vader." The General's voice now took over. "The Emperor's essence merged with mine and I made my way to a hangar and escaped on a fighter moments before the Death Star exploded."

"You said you were the voices in my head, even Lord Vader, calling me, all these years?" Ren trailed off.

Palpatine spoke again. "Your grandfather never spoke to you. He returned to the light just before his death and ceased to exist as Darth Vader. He became Anakin Skywalker again, and Darth Vader was silenced forever. It was always me calling to you, using his voice. A voice that I knew you would be unable to resist. I cultivated the dark impulses in you and ordered Snoke to train you."

"But Supreme Leader Snoke, he was real, he was never just a voice in my head."

"Snoke was my puppet. I found him, molded him, made him into the fearsome being you knew and showed him the power of the Dark side. When the time came, I helped orchestrate his takeover as Supreme Leader. Then, as General Pryde, I stayed by his side as his trusted advisor and, as Darth Sidious I trained him in the ways of the Sith."

"What is it you want from me?" Ren asked.

Palpatine continued to speak. "You will appoint General Pryde the head of the First Order High Command. He will stay close to you as your advisor. Soon the First Order destroyer fleet will be rebuilt, and we will finally destroy the last remnants of the Resistance. We will establish a New Empire that will last, not just for a thousand generations, but forever! Once the galaxy has been cleansed of resistance and Jedi filth, you will become my apprentice. I will guide you as I guided your grandfather. You will complete his path. One day you will be Emperor."

Ren stared at the man sitting before him. For as long as he could remember, he had known his destiny was exactly this, finishing what his grandfather started. Now, the most powerful dark being in the galaxy was offering it to him, why was he hesitating? _Because this path will lead to the destruction of the scavenger girl_, he thought.

"I feel conflict in you young Ren." Palpatine said. "Yes, the girl must be destroyed. She is too powerful."

"But the girl is untrained, she might be vulnerable to being turned. Such a powerful Force being could be a formidable ally in our cause" reasoned Ren. Palpatine considered this.

"It could be possible. Bring her to me. Together we will turn her to the Dark Side. But if she refuses, she must be destroyed."

"I will not fail you" he vowed.

"Good," General Pryde answered in a mocking cheerful tone. "Now, Supreme Leader, if you will, it's time to assemble the High Command."

The First Order High Command was comprised of five flag officers who headed the military and administrative commands of the Order. At their Supreme Leader's summons, they gathered in a conference room off the bridge and waited for him. He came in from his private office followed by a First Order officer that General Hux thought looked vaguely familiar, but he didn't know his name. Ren began the meeting with no small talk; he hated the administrative side of his duties and wanted them over as quickly as possible.

"This is Allegiant General Pryde. I am appointing him head of the High Command. Going forward, all members of the High Command will report to him, and he will report to me." Ren turned and left the room.

Hux was incensed. The High Command had never had a head before, but if it needed one, Hux thought it should be him. After all, he was the commanding general of the First Order's fleet and ground forces. He rose to confront General Pryde.

"Excuse me, but do you think for one moment I will cede command authority of the First Order military forces to _you?" _he seethed.

Pryde took his seat at the head of the table, folded his hands, and smiled. "Most certainly not General Hux! I wouldn't even consider such a thing."

Hux faltered, his sudden anger losing its target, and he was left scowling at Pryde like a petulant child. Embarrassment replaced anger as he resumed his seat.

Pryde continued, "I loyally served the Empire for ten years before it's untimely demise. Although I served in a private role, I was Supreme Leader Snoke's most trusted advisor since before he took command of the First Order. I simply pointed out to our new Supreme Leader that my many years of experience would be an asset to the First Order. He graciously agreed and offered me this position. My role is an advisory one, I assure you. I have no desire other than to support our Supreme Leader, and he has pledged his full support to me in return." He turned his smile to the rest of the High Command.

Hux was suspicious, beyond the standard First Order paranoia. He'd never seen Ren do anything graciously, and no one in the First Order simply accepted their place with no desire for advancement.

"Now," Pryde continued. "On to our first order of business. The First Order has gained a new ally whose leadership will finally enable us to completely crush the Resistance."

General Parnadee asked. "Who is this ally?"

Hux was less restrained. "The First Order is the most powerful military force the galaxy has ever seen! We need no allies to defeat our enemies!"

Pryce answered. "The revelation of this ally's identity remains at the Supreme Leader's discretion. For now, we will just say our ally is very powerful and the entire galaxy will benefit from our partnership."

Pryce turned to Hux, his face going hard. "General Hux. _Your_ military's past performance doesn't inspire confidence. Starkiller base vaporized, a dreadnought destroyed by Resistance bombs, Supreme Leader Snoke murdered and his flagship along with most of our star destroyers wiped out. Yes, we did severely damage their capabilities with the attack on D'Qar and the resulting pursuit to Crait, but our intelligence reports indicate that even now, the Resistance is rebuilding and has established posts on at least three worlds. If the First Order military could _'defeat our enemies'_ there would be no Resistance left to rebuild. Our new fleet of Star Destroyers is near completion, and they need crews. Prepare your divisions for deployment to the Unknown Regions. You will receive further instructions when we arrive."

"You said you your role was advisory; you're already giving orders!" Hux sneered.

"General Hux," Pryde smiled at him again, "I'm doing no such thing! I am _**advising **_you to command your forces to prepare for deployment to the Unknown Regions." He rose from his seat. "Dismissed" he said as he walked into the Supreme Leader's private office.

* * *

Chapter notes:

I had this thought that General Pryde appeared out of nowhere in TRoS and that moved on to, does he have anything to do with Palpatine also appearing in this movie? Essence transfer is an established power the Sith have used to cheat death...


	2. Chapter 2

The lush temperate forest moon of Ajan Kloss teemed with life; chirping birds, small chattering animals, leafy trees rustling in the wind. Rey came to this clearing, deep in the woods, to meditate, away from the distractions of the Resistance base. These simple beings helped her connect with the Force in a way she couldn't when surrounded by people and their complex emotions. As she sank deeper into the Force, she floated higher above the forest floor, legs crossed, eyes closed, hands resting on her knees, chanting "Be with me, be with me." Rocks swept up in the power of her meditation circled around like a strange solar system with her as it's star. BB-8 patrolled the forest under her, occasionally letting out a curious "beep".

She was calling out to the Jedi who had come before her, asking for their guidance on her journey. Since Master Skywalker's death, she had no one to help her navigate this path; no one to show her how to control this immense power that she had tapped into and it scared her. She was doing the best she could; she meditated every day, and every night she pored over the Jedi texts she had brought from Ahch-To, but what she was learning from them could not replace the training she would have gotten from a Jedi Master. She had asked for Leia's help; she was the only other person who understood what Rey was facing. But Leia had never trained as a Jedi; she answered Rey's questions as best she could, there were still large gaps in her knowledge. Rey often felt alone again, struggling to learn about the power that set her apart and how to control it.

After an hour's meditation, she realized that all she had heard were the noises of the forest. She heaved a heavy, disappointed sigh. Her eyes opened and she uncrossed her legs, gracefully flipping in the air before lowering herself to the ground. Her rocky satellites dropped around her. BB-8 approached her, sounding a series of questioning beeps.

"Nope, not today either," she told the little droid. She was frustrated and disappointed. She knew her training would take years, but the Resistance needed her now. "I'm heading for the training course." A small port opened in the droid's side and a lightsaber flew up and into Rey's hand. This one she had crafted herself, as a true Jedi would, following the directions in the texts. It had taken many months, mostly to find the kyber crystal at its heart, but she had finally finished it, and she loved the feel of the weapon in her hand and its warm yellow glow. With her foot, she flipped a blast helmet from the ground into her hand and placed it on her head, completely blocking her vision. She ran deeper into the forest along a path she had blazed. She had gotten a small head start before BB-8 released a combat remote that followed her.

In the brutal deserts of Jakku, she had become an expert with her staff; using it both for defense and offense, but those skills only translated into brute force swings with a lightsaber. It was enough to defeat most enemies, to defeat Kylo Ren face to face, she would need to wield her weapon with much greater skill and precision. She was trying to acquire this finesse, but it was difficult to overcome years of muscle memory.

She used the Force to defend against the remote and to navigate the course around obstacles, over streams and across deep river gorges that cut through the wilds. The demands soon outpaced her ability and she was missing more of the remote's stinging blasts than she was blocking.

Immersed in the Force, she didn't hear Finn coming towards her, calling her name. Becoming frustrated by the stinging blows she was failing to block, she gave up on the lightsaber, pulled her staff, and slammed the bothersome device into a tree; just as Finn got close enough to tap her on the shoulder. Her counter swing with the lightsaber caught him across the arm. He yelled in pain, falling to the ground, clutching his wound. Rey threw the blast helmet off and crouched beside her friend.

"Finn!" she shouted, "Are you ok?"

"Hey hey hey – put that thing out!" he yelled, scooting back against a tree, pointing at the still ignited lightsaber. She extinguished it and pulled his hand away to assess his injury; a slashing burn on his upper arm.

"Oh Finn, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were here!" she said, distraught that she had caused her friend pain.

"It's ok, I really know better than to bother you when your traini- hey, what are you doing?" he asked. Rey had placed her hand over the wound and closed her eyes. Finn felt slightly lightheaded and a warm tingling replaced the pain of his burn. When Rey removed her hand, Finn saw that the burn was gone leaving only a light pink scar, and even that was healing before his eyes.

"Woah," he whispered in amazement. "Rey, how did you do that?"

She got to her feet, brushed her palms on her pants, then offered Finn her hand. She pulled him up, and as she picked up the smashed remote, she explained, "It's a Jedi skill, I read about it in the texts. I can do it with small injuries, cuts and burns like yours. It's a transfer of life energy. There are stories of Jedi who have great control of the force that can heal even mortal wounds." BB-8 caught up to them and she returned her lightsaber to the droid. The trio started back to the Resistance base.

"Could you," Finn hesitated, "You know, if someone was dead…."

"I don't think so," she shook her head. "The Force just accelerates the healing process. If someone is dead, there would be no healing to accelerate." Now Rey realized another reason why she had been so taken off guard by Finn's appearance on her training course. He had gone with Poe on a reconnaissance mission earlier in the day. She hadn't expected to see her friends until the evening meal, after they had passed their new intelligence to the Senior Council. "Wait, Finn, did you just get back?"

"Yeah," he answered. "and we got some critical new intelligence. General Organa is gathering the council now so everyone can hear it at once. I thought you might want to be there."

"Thanks for coming to get me."

They entered the small compound of buildings that comprised the Resistance base on the forest moon of. "I just need put this away," Rey said, raising the blast helmet and the ruined combat remote.

Finn said, "Ok, I'll see you in there." He headed to the largest building that housed the Resistance command center and she hurried to her quarters. On his way, he saw Rose Tico, inventorying a shipment of supplies and directing their destinations on the base.

"Hey Finn!" she called, and he went to her. "How was the mission?" she asked, embracing him.

"It went smoothly, you know…." he said in a bravado, attempting to sound much more experienced than he was.

"Yeah, I know," laughed Rose. "You were white knuckling the whole time!" Finn flushed.

"You really need to have more faith in Poe's piloting skills," Rose gently scolded him. "You trust him in everything else." Finn blushed deeper.

"Finn," Rose said gently, "It's ok. Really. I will always be your best friend. And if you can't tease your best friend, then what's the point?"

He hugged her and said, "Thanks Rose. I gotta go."

"See ya around Finn!" she said and returned to her inventory.

When Rey had put the blast helmet back on the shelf in her room and dropped the combat remote at the droid maintenance bay for repair, she went to the command building and slipped into the back of the briefing room. The Senior Council of the Resistance had gathered in a conference room lined with clear maps. They sat around a large table, with General Organa at its head, and the lights dimmed. Commander Dameron spoke as he slid a data disk into the holo reader. "Our contact tells us this information comes directly from a source inside the First Order." A holo image projected from the center of the table, a tall figure whose image and voice were distorted to protect the spy's identity.

"It is being said that Supreme Leader Ren has a powerful new ally who will lead the First Order to a final victory over the Resistance. We are preparing to deploy to the Unknown Regions; which means the new destroyer fleet is near completion. If you have any chance of survival you must destroy the new fleet before it becomes operational." The image flickered out.

Poe spoke up again. "Our allies report that troop movements have begun in the Inner Systems; those farthest from the border of the Unknown Regions. It appears they are deploying from the center of the galaxy outward. Once the First Order begins withdrawal from the Outer Rim systems, we can assume that the final attacks are imminent." The room was silent for a moment before the council erupted in arguments. Leia rose from her seat, and her commanding presence quieted the room.

"Commander D'Acy?" the general addressed her second in command.

"We have no idea where the shipyards are. Their location is a closely held secret, even inside the First Order. And the Unknown Regions are nearly as vast as the known galaxy. Even if we could learn the location of the shipyards, getting there is impossible. The boundary between the galaxy and the Unknown Regions is filled with solar storms, rogue magnetospheres, black holes, gravity wells, and who knows what else."

"General Organa, if I may," Maz Kanata spoke up. Leia nodded her permission to speak. "There may be a way. I know of a deserted First Order command base on Pasaana. During their rise, before they had built enough heavy craft to carry their forces, command and control was dispersed to ground bases across planets in several systems. As the fleet became operational, the commanders were recalled to Star Destroyers and the ground bases were destroyed to eliminate top-secret information that might fall into Resistance hands. Except for a base on Pasaana. It had to be evacuated quickly when that sector was attacked by Resistance forces during their withdrawal. The First Order barely had time to get their personnel out, and they never regained enough of a hold on that system to destroy the base. The information we need is likely still on their computers, including their maps through the boundary to the Unknown Regions."

"Will we be able to access their systems? Lieutenant Beaumont?" General Organa addressed their resident computer expert.

Lt. Beaumont sighed. "I doubt it. Antiquated First Order systems are bound to be completely different and totally incompatible from the modern Resistance systems I understand."

"I might know someone," Poe spoke up. "Someone I knew when I," he hesitated. "Before I joined the Resistance. He's a droid hacker, but he knows First Order droids as well as Resistance and anything in between. And droids are just mobile computer systems, right?" He addressed this question at Lt. Beaumont.

"Yeah," the lieutenant answered, "Close enough."

"Commander Dameron, how far away from Pasaana is your hacker?" asked the general.

"A couple hours at lightspeed."

"Good. Alright, Commander Dameron, prepare the _Falcon _and your crew. Get your hacker and then find the base on Pasaana. Once you have the information about the shipyards, transmit it back here. We will formulate our battle plan and meet you at the boundary to the Unknown Regions. Dismissed." The council scattered to carry out their orders.

Rey went to her room to prepare to leave_. _As she packed, silence descended around her and she felt a familiar presence. She saw him sitting a few feet away. She had last felt his presence as the _Falcon _had left Crait, but this was the first time she had actually connected with him since Ahch-To.

"You're hard to find," Ren said.

"You're hard to get rid of," she spat back. "What do you want?"

"I've seen your future. I will find you and turn you. You've felt the pull to the Dark before. On Ahch-To, and before that, when we battled on Starkiller base, you wanted to destroy me. The power you felt then, that was the Dark Side. It is the only way to.." Ren stopped suddenly. "The next time I offer, you will take my hand."

"I'll die first," she hissed.

"Yes, you will," he said, and the connection closed.

The communication chime in her room sounded, making her jump. Leia's voice spoke. "Rey, would you join me in my quarters before you leave?"

"Of course General." Rey finished packing her bag and headed to the _Falcon. _She stowed her bag on board.

"Ready to go?" Poe asked.

"The general wants to see me first," she said. "I'll be back soon."

Rey rang the chime on Leia's quarters and Leia opened the door. "Rey, come in."

Rey followed Leia into the sitting are of her quarters. They were larger than any Rey had seen at this base, but utilitarian. The sitting room Leia led her to was furnished with a sofa and chairs, and a table and chairs. A cabinet stood against one wall with an ornate carved box resting on it. Rey sat on the sofa and Leia settled into an armchair.

"Rey," she began. "I know there are some things you have never shared with me. Things concerning my son and the night he fled the Jedi temple. Luke would never speak of it either."

Rey sighed. She never liked discussing Kylo Ren with Leia. She hated seeing the pain in her eyes. And she had certainly never discussed with anyone what she had learned about the night the Jedi temple was destroyed. Leia felt Rey's reluctance to be honest with her.

"Rey, I'm tired of everyone trying to spare my feelings where my family is concerned. This is a closely held secret, but I never fully recovered from the explosion on the _Raddus_. The doctor says," she hesitated and drew a deep breath. "Rey, I'm dying. I would like to know the truth about my family before I do."

Rey's eyes shone with tears. "No," she whispered, "Leia, no."

"Mourn me after I'm gone. Please tell me what I want to know."

"Leia," her voice cracked. She swallowed hard and moved to sit next to her. Rey started again, looking directly into Leia's eyes as she told the story. "On Ahch-To, Master Skywalker showed me his experience of what happened that night, Kylo Ren showed me his side of it, and some details come from Luke's writings."

"He saw Ben was succumbing to the darkness growing inside of him. One night, Luke's mind became overwhelmed with horrible, dark visions. He went to Ben, to confront him about what was happening, what he had seen. Luke's first memories were that he was simply standing by the bed when Ben woke up and reached for _his_ lightsaber first. Luke ignited his lightsaber to defend himself, then Ben used the Force to bring the hut down on him. By the time he had regained consciousness, Ben had disappeared, the whole temple was burning, and his students were dead. Luke assumed that Ben had caused the destruction before he fled.

Ben's memory is that he woke to see his master standing over him, his lightsaber ignited and raised to strike. Ben did reach for his lightsaber, but in defense. He used the Force to deflect the attack and his hut collapsed, killing Luke, or so he thought. So, he fled and as he did, the Jedi temple exploded around him.

Later, after he had exiled himself on Ahch-To, Luke finally forced himself to confront what actually happened that night. He hadn't just felt a darkness in Ben, that night, he felt a presence. Something so impossible that for a long time, Luke dismissed it as his own fears imprinting on Ben." Rey wanted to stop, to not have to say this name. But now that she had started, it must be finished. "It was Palpatine."

"Rey," Leia interrupted. "Palpatine is dead. Luke saw him die."

"Even though Luke had witnessed the emperor's death, he was certain of what he had felt. He had never forgotten the malevolence of that presence. He also accepted with the truth of what happened in Ben's hut. Luke _had_ ignited his lightsaber first; the fear and anger of Palpatine's presence overwhelmed him and he lost control. He said that the last thing he remembered seeing of Ben were the eyes of a frightened boy whose master had turned on him. And Ben had reason to fear; Luke tormented himself with endless hours of meditation on that night, and he was never certain that his intention was _not_ to strike Ben down. He also realized that Ben could not have destroyed the temple in the short time Luke was unconscious. Ben was powerful, yes, but not like that, not yet. He came to believe that Palpatine destroyed the Jedi temple with a Force lightning storm."

"So where is Palpatine now? Is he still alive?" Leia asked.

"Luke's writings don't mention him again. And when I connected with Kylo Ren, I just felt darkness. I don't have enough knowledge of the Force to tell where it comes from."

"Then Palpatine could still be influencing him, even now?"

"Leia," Rey said softly, "I just don't know. The only other thing Luke wrote about it was that his biggest regret was that never got the chance to apologize, to explain to Ben that he was wrong until it was too late. Ben hadn't gone over to the dark side, he was under the influence of something neither he nor Luke understood."

"I failed him too, I'm afraid. I had always feared the worst, that the darkness was inside him. We all gave up on him and drove him away," Leia said, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Have you given up on him?"

"No," Rey answered confidently. "I saw his future, and it is in the light, I know it as surely as I know I'm standing in this room."

Leia reached out and clasped Rey's hand. "Bring him back. You may be the only one who can now." She rose stiffly and went to the side cabinet. She opened the ornately carved wooden box and removed something from it. She returned to Rey and held it out. Luke's lightsaber, whole and healed. "And when you do, you may need this." Rey took it gently, turning it over in disbelief. The last time she had seen it was when they fled Crait, and this lightsaber was in pieces.

"But how?" Rey asked.

"You're not the only one who is strong in the Force and can follow instructions in an ancient Jedi text, you know. And now, it's time for you to go." She smiled at her young friend and walked her to the door of her quarters. As they embraced, Rey felt a terrible grief, fearing that this would be the last time she would see Leia, and tears spilled over her cheeks. As she pulled away, Leia gently touched Rey's face.

"The Force will be with you. Always."

* * *

I removed the retcon of Leia having any Jedi training, but my ending will still require Rey to have two lightsabers, so she built her own like a good little Jedi, and Leia fixed Luke's.

The bit about Force healing I took from cannon/lore - it is there. Obi Wan actually used it in ANH to help Luke after he was attacked by "Sand People".

Re-watching TFA and the Rey/Ren battle - look at her face when she's standing over Ren starting at ~1:57:04. Looks like the kind of rage she had after seeing dark Rey in TRoS.

The truth about that night at the Jedi temple comes from the new "The Rise of Kylo Ren" comic.


	3. Chapter 3

Poe circled the _Falcon _over Kijimi City, looking for the spaceport where they might be the most inconspicuous. They saw a First Order troop transport near each of the six gates into the city.

"What's the First Order doing here?" Rey asked.

"Hunting down spice runners," Poe said.

"Stealing children," Finn said at the same time.

"Alright, so not a good place," Rey remarked. "How did you get involved with anyone here?" she asked Poe.

"Long story," was all he said.

Poe had rigged the _Falcon's _nav beacon and registration broadcast to send out false information, giving the ship a new identity to anyone receiving its signals. The contacted traffic control in Kijimi city and requested clearance to land at the port near the south gate. They received ground clearance and touched down. The system's star was weak, and the entire planet was frigid, with snow blanketing most of the land. They opened the storage lockers where they had stowed their gear and began to dress warmly for the cold mission. Chewbacca complained loudly. "Chewie," Poe said in a placating tone. "Listen, we need you to stay here and keep the _Falcon _ready for takeoff in case we need to leave in a hurry. And this city is overcrowded, the architecture is small. You'll attract too much attention big guy." Chewbacca made a few disgruntled moans and grudgingly returned to the cockpit. C3PO turned to follow the Wookie but Poe stopped him. "3PO, you're going with us."

"But Master Poe, I may short circuit in the snow."

"I'll take that chance," Poe said as he finished putting on the insulated outerwear. Rey pulled on a heavy woolen cloak and raised the hood over her head. Finn wore a heavy parka. When everyone was dressed, they set out for the city on foot. Near the city gate, they saw the transport waiting for the troops return, it's engines off, ramps down, covered with a thin layer of snow. A single trooper remained behind as guard. They pulled their hoods closer to their faces and passed through the gate and into the city.

Poe led them into the maze of narrow lanes and alleyways. When they saw a group of Storm Troopers questioning people on the streets, they ducked into a deserted side alley. They crouched out of the wind in the door of what appeared to be an abandoned building, Rey shivering despite the warm clothing. Her thin desert blood was not accustomed to cold climates and she felt like they had already been wandering aimlessly for an hour. "Ok," Rey said, her teeth chattering. "Where is this droid hacker?"

"He used to operate out of the bar just up there," Poe pointed to a run-down pub a few buildings away. "But, it's not the kind of place you can just walk into and look for a droid hacker. If he's not there, we could be turned in just for asking."

"So if we don't know if he's there and we can't ask where he is how do we find out where he is?" Finn asked, exasperated. Just then, a blaster barrel appeared around the door frame and pressed against Poe's head.

"You know, I was sure if I kept coming around your old spot, you'd show up eventually, and here you are. Bandii at the south gate told me he saw you." A woman's voice came out of a shapeless, scarf wrapped face. "You left me in a real bad situation, Dameron. Tell me why I shouldn't blast you right here and do the galaxy a favor."

"Heey-ey, Zorii!" Poe said like he was happily greeting an old friend, "How have you been?"

"How have I been?" she asked angrily. Poe winced as she pressed the blaster harder against his temple. "You disappeared, leaving me with a cargo hold of spice that I couldn't move without your contacts! I could have gotten 30 years in a First Order prison! I was lucky to only lose 50,000 credits!"

"Look, Zorii," Poe said. "You don't understand. I left for a reason. Just give me a minute to explain."

"So you ran off to join the Resistance and left me to face prison?"

While Zorii was focused on deciding whether to relieve Poe of his brains, Rey moved quickly. She pulled her staff from its harness in a swift, smooth motion. Before Zorii could even register what was happening, Rey swept her feet out from under her and she fell on her back with an audible "Ooof." Rey spun her staff and held the slender end inches above the prone woman's face.

"Look," she growled, "I'm sorry that you don't like him, but we really don't have time for this right now."

"How'd you know I'm with the Resistance?" Poe asked.

The woman on the ground knew when she had been beat. There was no point in fighting, and she started laughing. "Because I recognize this one," she nodded up at Rey. "She has a bounty on her head larger than any I've ever seen. Ok, ok, I surrender, call her off," she coughed and raised her hands, letting the blaster fall into the snow. Finn grabbed it up and stuffed it inside his heavy coat.

Rey glared at Poe. "You were a spice runner?" she asked, curtly as she put her staff away.

"Oh yeah," Zorii answered for Poe, still laughing as she got back on her feet, brushing snow from her outer garments. Poe looked embarrassed.

"Yeah," he snapped, "In my rebellious youth, but then I grew up. Ok? And you," he pointed at Finn, "were a Storm Trooper, and you," he pointed at Rey, "were a scavenger. Now everyone knows everyone. We good?"

Rey looked at Finn, eyebrows raised questioningly, but Finn just shrugged. "You knew about this?" Rey asked him.

"Yeah," Finn answered, "But the past is the past."

Poe was more than eager to change the subject. "Zorii, we need to find Babu Frick. Does he still work out of the Blue Nose?"

"Nope," she said. "He moved to the Top of the World a couple years ago. Come on, I'll take you. Can I have my blaster back?"

"Can we trust her?" Finn asked Poe.

"Yeah, sure!" Poe said, with cheerful false confidence and Finn handed her the blaster. But as they stepped on to the main street, Poe surreptitiously loosened the holster of his own blaster.

Zorii spoke over her shoulder, "If I wanted to turn you in, you'd be in First Order restraints by now. Yeah, Dameron did me a bad turn, but his heart was always too big for this line of work. I knew spice running wasn't for him, and I always suspected he went off to do something noble. Good to know my instincts were right."

Zorii led them right to a building at the crest of a small hill. "Here," she said, unwinding her scarves and handing them out, "Cover your faces." She also removed her hat and handed it to Rey. "If I recognized you with just that hood, someone else will too. Just because I like Dameron enough not to turn you in doesn't mean he doesn't still have a few enemies here." They disguised themselves as best they could and walked into the bar, through the crowd to a staircase in the back. No one even gave them a second glance.

The door at the at the bottom of the stairs opened into a space that was as large as the bar itself. It was crammed with pieces and parts from what looked like every kind of droid in existence. Dusty shelves filled with gears, servo motors, belts, computer boards, and every mechanical and computer component imaginable filled the floor space, creating a kind of a maze. Rey passed a large bin filled with metal arms and legs. C3PO's head swiveled back and forth as he passed through this graveyard of his kind; bumping into tables and shelves; he whined, "Oh my! I'll be dissected for parts!"

"Relax," Zorii said. "Babu fixes droids, not destroys them, right Babu?"

In the back of the room, a droid sat in a repair chair, it's back cranial plate open. A small Anzellan popped up from behind it. He was a welder's mask pushed up on his forehead.

"Ahh, heyhey!" he bubbled in a high voice when he saw Zorii and Poe. He spoke in a kind of pidgin common language. They could understand some of what he was saying, and 3PO translated the rest.

"He's asking where Master Poe has been and when is he going to pay the three thousand credits he owes."

Finn looked at his pilot. "Is there anyone on this planet you didn't swindle?"

Poe shifted uncomfortably. "Hey, Babu, we need your help. We gotta get some data from an old First Order computer. You got anything that can do that?"

"Ohhhh, First Order?" Babu said in a lower, more serious tone. "Yeah yeah, First Order computer simple simple." He climbed down from the ladder and crossed the room to a bin of parts taller than him. He pulled himself up to the edge, then he leaned over too far and fell into the bin. Muttered words rose from the bin as he rummaged through it. "Ah ha!" he exclaimed triumphantly and climbed out holding large rectangular box with a wide flat cable coming out one side and a small screen covering one face. He gave it to Poe, speaking excitedly as 3PO translated.

"This device is a universal translator for computer systems. Connect it to the system's data port and you can read any data you want."

"But First Order, very strong safe," Babu said. 3PO translated again.

"He says that First Order encryption protocols are impossible to break. Even information stored in data banks is encrypted. We will not be able to access the data without a decryption code."

"Well, we'll have to worry about that when we get there," Poe said. "There must be a decryption code somewhere at that base. How much?" Poe asked Babu.

The small creature laughed and chattered at them. 3PO said "He said he will add it to your bill and you may pay next time. Oh, Master Poe, are we coming back here?"

"You never know 3PO," Poe answered. "Thank you Babu, you don't know how much this means to a lot of people."

Ren walked quickly through the halls of the _Steadfast, _heading for his office. He was meeting with General Pryde. For the sake of appearances, Ren had "requested" the meeting, but it was being held on Palpatine's orders. When he entered his office and the General was already seated. Ren stood by the door a moment, making sure it closed before he spoke.

"Master," he said.

"Apprentice," Palpatine's rasp answered. "I felt you communicating with the girl again."

Ren struggled to hide his emotions from his powerful new master. He sat at the chair behind his desk. Although anyone entering the office without Ren's permission was courting a painful rebuke, it _was_ conceivable that they could be interrupted without warning for legitimate reasons. So, for now, they sat as equals. _Soon enough, _Ren thought crossly, _I will again kneel. I thought those days were over when I destroyed Snoke._

"Yes, Master. The connection opens unbidden," he lied. "I was attempting to learn the location of the Resistance. I closed it as soon as I realized she was not going to tell me anything."

"I have some valuable information for you," he used Pryde's voice now. "Information that may be of use in your quest to turn the girl. About her family."

"She has no family," Ren said. "I saw them, they abandoned her, they were nobody."

"You saw what I wanted you to see," Pryde answered. "I felt her power and wanted you to kill the girl. I thought if she held no significance; you would strike her down. But I underestimated the attraction you feel towards her. Do you know why you are so drawn to her?"

"Because of her power," Ren answered.

"Yes, but you do not understand the source of that power," Palpatine's voice took over again. "When I was a young man, before I even had left my home on Naboo, I knew a girl. Ah yes, she lured me in with the guiles that only a young woman has. And I was weak. Although I felt the Force, even then, I had yet to harness it for the powers I now possess. She had a child, a boy. My son. When I began my ascendancy to the Senate, on the path that would lead me to become the Emperor, I sent her and the child away, to an Outer Rim planet where they would never be found. The boy was never strong in the Force, and he never knew who his father was. In time, the boy grew and had a child of his own. A daughter. I felt the shock in the Force at the moment of her birth. I wanted her killed, she was a rogue element that I didn't control. I ordered Snoke to send the First Order after them, but they escaped. He took the child and her mother and fled, moving from planet to planet in the Outer Rim, foolishly thinking they could hide. It was only a matter of time before they were found, but when they were, the girl was not with them. They had abandoned her somewhere and no amount of _persuasion_ would convince them to tell what I wanted to know before they died. The girl was lost to me. Until now. I have felt her need, her yearning for belonging, not knowing that she does belong. She belongs to the most powerful family the galaxy has ever known. Show her this, Ren. Bring her to me and we will show her together. The grandson of Darth Vader and the granddaughter of Darth Sidious will rule the galaxy together!"

Ren was stunned. He had not even begun to process what this revelation meant when the door chime sounded. He cleared his throat and said, "Come."

General Hux came into the room, slowing as he felt the tension in the air. He stood before the desk, pointedly addressing Ren and ignoring Pryde. "Supreme Leader, a patrol in the Bryx sector has found the _Millennium Falcon _on a planet called Kijimi. They have seized the vessel and it's occupant."

Ren shot to his feet. "What occupant?" he demanded.

Hux's eyes narrowed just slightly at Ren's reaction. He knew the scavenger trash had some kind of hold over Ren, and it was always amusing to see him lose control, even if just a little, over a girl.

Ren's hand flew up. Hux slammed to his knees and began gasping and choking. "Are you amused now General Hux?"

Hux managed a strangled "No!" and Ren dropped his hand. Hux fell on all fours, coughing and sputtering. He managed a glance at General Pryde, who sat placidly, looking amused.

"It was the Wookie, Supreme Leader," Hux managed to say.

"If that ship was there and the Wookie was aboard, then the girl is close. General Hux, best speed to Kijimi."

Just as they were preparing to leave Babu's workshop, the communicator on Poe's wrist began beeping rapidly.

"What is that?" asked Rey, alarm in her voice.

"It's the emergency beacon on the _Falcon_," Poe answered, the excitement he had been feeling falling to dread. "They're taking it."

"Who?" Finn asked, confused. "Who's taking it?"

"Who do you think?" Poe snapped. "_They're_ taking it."

"But what about the thing, that thing you did with the beacon and the registration? I thought that was supposed to hide us!" Finn yelled.

"Yeah, well it still looks like the _Falcon,_" Poe yelled back, "And every damn idiot in the First Order has that ship drilled into their head! Someone must have seen her."

"But we left Chewie on board," Rey said, her voice rising in panic. "We have to do something, Poe, we left him!"

"Do what?" Poe shouted back at her. "If we run out there through the streets, those troopers will notice us for sure. And how do you propose we get up to wherever they are taking it? The _Falcon _was the only ship we had!"

"The transports," Finn said.

"What?" Rey and Poe asked.

"The troop transports, outside the city gates. They're just sitting there, wide open, only one guard. Look, you know that once Ren hears that the First Order captured the _Falcon, _he's coming straight here. And since it will be the closest destroyer, when the troopers leave Kijimi, they will be recalled to that ship. We get out there and stowaway on a transport."

"But how do we get out to one?" Rey asked. "If the _Falcon _is here, the troopers have to know that we're here too. They will be stopping and questioning everyone on the streets."

"Only if you take the streets," Zorii spoke up and they turned to look at her. Understanding dawned on Poe and he began to smile.

"Is there an opening we can get to?" he asked her.

"Would I willingly go into an underground space if there wasn't?" she asked and pulled a large box of droid heads away from the wall. A small door was hidden behind it.

"Do you remember the layout?" Zorii asked Poe.

"These tunnels were a runner's best friend, of course I do. Zorii, I could kiss you right now!" Poe said.

"I'd rather kiss Babu," Zorii said, and the droid hacker chuckled merrily. As they ducked through the trap door in the wall, Finn's elbow managed to catch Poe squarely in the guts.

"Ow!" Poe complained. "What was that for? It's just an expression!"

"Which way to the closest gate?" Rey asked, igniting he lightsaber in the darkness once the trap door was closed behind them.

Poe looked around, getting his bearings. "This way," he said, heading left. Poe led them through the labyrinth to a stairwell. "This should be right under the northwest gate," Poe told them as they climbed. He slowly slid the hatch open and looked through and saw no one. "All clear," he said as he opened the hatch the rest of the way and they climbed out. But the city gate was closed.

"Hey! What are you doing?" A city guard came out of the gate house.

"All clear?" Finn grumbled.

Rey approached the guard and waved her hand. "We must leave the city."

The guard said in a monotone, "You must leave the city."

She waved her hand again. "You will open the gate."

"I will open the gate." He returned to the guard house and moved the lever that raised the gate. As they passed through, Rey waved her hand one last time. "We are troopers returning to our transport."

"You are troopers returning to your transport."

"That's creepy," Poe said as they walked towards the transport.

"Well, get over it because I have to do it one more time. The transport's guard needs to still be there when the squad gets back or this plan won't work."

As they approached the transport the guard raised his blaster, "Move along!"

Rey waved her hand, "We can go on board."

"You can go on board," he waved them into the transport with the blaster.

Rey said, "No one has been here all night."

"No one has been here all night."

They scrambled into the transport. Finn grabbed a toolbox from a compartment and began working on opening a section of the deck. Once it was loose, he slid it aside Rey, Poe and 3PO huddled inside. Finn tucked a tool into his pocket and returned the toolbox. He slid into the floor compartment, closed the deck over them and secured it back down with the tool he had taken.

"Now we just wait?" 3PO asked.

"Yep," Finn said. "Now we wait. A standard trooper search mission usually lasts 10 hours before they need to return to base for food and rest cycles."

3PO spoke up. "Assuming a constant rate of snowfall, and with the amount of accumulation on this craft, it has been here for 8 hours, 27 minutes and 15 seconds. Approximately."

"Approximately?" mocked Poe.

"Master Poe, there are variables in my calculations that resulted in one thousand seven hundred fourteen possible solutions. I gave you the average of those results."

"Great, thanks 3PO. Now be quiet before someone hears you."

The _Steadfast _reached Kijimi and hovered in the atmosphere over the city where that ship had been seized. He flew his shuttle to the planet to sense the girl and personally supervise the search.

"Tear the city apart if you have to," he ordered the troops, "kill whoever you have to, but I want that girl alive!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Chapter 4 and our first big surprise!**

* * *

Although she wore no chronometer, Rey was certain she had been crammed into the small space with two other humans and a droid who was all hard surfaces and edges for much longer than two hours. She never thought she'd be happy to hear storm troopers coming her way, but now she was almost overcome with relief when she heard troopers marching into the transport and settling in for the flight to the _Steadfast. _It was an unexpectedly short flight.

"The destroyer must be parked in atmosphere," observed Poe in a whisper. They listened to the sounds of the squad gathering their gear and disembarking the transport. When the small ship had fallen silent, they waited twenty more minutes to be sure no one came back to retrieve a left behind item or complete a post-mission checklist. Then Finn began squirming in the small space, trying to retrieve the tool he had stowed.

"OW!" Rey hissed, "You're on my foot!"

"Well I'm sorry," Finn hissed back, "There's not exactly a lot of room to work in here! 3PO, light?" he asked. The droid's eyes lit up the dark. Like a child's tablet puzzle, they all shifted around in the compartment so Finn could get the tool into his hand and open the deck section with a minimum of elbows and knees jabbing into each other and heads banging together. He finally managed to free them and the humans crawled out and just lay on the floor of the main compartment of the transport, relishing the fresh air and stretching cramped and tired muscles.

"Man, we need freshers," Poe groaned. He rolled on to his side and heaved himself up, offering his hand to Finn, pulling him up too.

When neither of them offered to help her Rey mocked, "Thanks guys, I got it."

"Use the Force, Rey," Finn teased her. She glared at him as she stood, rubbing at a bruise on her hip she was sure she got from being crushed up against 3PO for endless hours.

"Alright guys," Poe cautioned, "Let's get serious. Rey go look out front and see if we're clear," he said as he headed toward the back of the transport.

"All clear!" called Poe.

"Yeah, all clear this way too!" Rey responded. Rather than lower the large troop gangway, Finn found the small escape hatch in the belly of the transport and opened the trap door. They quietly lowered themselves to the hangar floor and took in their surroundings.

"3PO," Poe said, pointing at the hangar's control center. "Find the _Falcon._"

The droid hurried to the control center in the back of the bay. He studied the large readout that displayed information about every ship currently berthed in the massive carrier's hundreds of hangars and docking bays. "Master Poe, I've located the _Millennium Falcon _in hangar bay level 5 bay 2; on the starboard side of the ship."

"Great job 3PO, get over there and wait for us," Poe ordered.

"Of course, Master Poe," the droid almost sounded relieved and he walked off to find their ship.

"How are going to find Chewie?" asked Rey.

"The detention center is on level 13, section 8, on the starboard side," Finn answered.

"Can you get us there quietly?" Poe asked.

"You want to get around somewhere, ask the janitor," Finn replied, as he led them to a dark back corner of the bay. He pushed a button on a panel that Rey didn't even see and a small door, about half human size slid open. "This leads to the service corridors. They're mostly used by droids. It's the best way we get there with as little attention as possible."

They quickly ducked into the service corridor and the door slid shut behind them. As they traveled up through the ship, they passed droids of many makes and models, but none paid them any mind. Yes, it was the least conspicuous way of moving through the ship, but the route was difficult. In many areas the corridors were not built to accommodate anything larger than an R2 type unit. They had to crawl through some places and squeeze through small doors. The detention block was 11 levels above where they started in the hangar near the bottom of the destroyer, and there were no lifts, only ramps between levels. They were sweating and panting when Finn stopped them in front of another half human size door.

"This is the service entrance into the detention center. They won't be expecting anyone to come out of here, so we'll have a moment of surprise. Rey, that will give you time to do your," he made swishing motions with his hand, "Jedi thing. We want to avoid using the blasters. Blaster fire will set off alarms."

They burst out of the service door; blasters ready but not raised. Before the guards realized what was happening, Rey swept her hand and their weapons smashed against the wall. She raised one finger and moved it across her body. "It's ok that we're here," she said.

In a droning voice, the troopers said, "It's ok that you're here."

Rey motioned again, "You're relieved that we're here."

In the same tone, the troopers echoed, "We're relieved that you're here."

She motioned once more, "You want to stand over there." She pointed at the wall next to the corridor to the detention cells.

"We'll just stand over here," they said and moved to stand against the wall.

While Rey was mesmerizing the guards, Finn was working the control console. "Cell 29," he said, pushing the button to open Chewie's cell. A door at the end of the corridor slid open.

Poe ran to the entrance of the corridor that was lined with cells and yelled, "Chewie, let's go!" The Wookie stuck his giant shaggy head out into the hallway bellowed with excitement to see his friends and ran to join them at the guard station.

Rey manipulated the guard's minds one last time, "It's dangerous out here. You'll be much safer in there," she pointed to the cell Chewie had just vacated.

One guard said, "It's too dangerous out here."

The other one said, "We'll be safer in there," pointing to the open cell. They willingly entered, sat on the hard bench, and Finn locked them in.

Poe hit the hidden button to open the service door, but Finn stopped and pointedly craned his neck back to take in the Wookie's full height. Poe got the message. "Yeah, looks like we're taking the main road," he said, and they crossed the guard station to the detention center's main entrance. The doors slid open and Poe and Finn looked out quickly in opposite directions. "Ok, let's go," Finn said, and they ran to a lift at the end of the hall. The moment the doors opened, Poe, Finn, and Chewie entered the small compartment. Rey hesitated outside of the lift, looking around, confused. She felt a presence on this ship, something calling to her, something she had to see.

She said, "You guys get back to the _Falcon _and get ready to leave, I'll meet you there,"

Finn leaned out of the lift calling, "Rey, wait!" but was already running off.

"Come on Finn," Poe said, pulling him back in to the compartment. "You know Rey will find her way to the _Falcon_, but _we_ need your help to get there!" Finn pulled back into the lift and hit the button for level 5. "Hangar 5 is on this side of the ship, so that's a little bit of a break. When the door opens, we turn right."

The lift stopped and the doors opened lift doors opened, and three troopers stood in front of them. Poe and Finn took them out with bolts from their blasters, and a rising and falling siren filled the air. "So much for not setting off alarms," Poe said, as they ran through the ship.

* * *

The compulsion that pulled her through the ship grew louder as she got closer, and she was able to follow it as clearly as if it had left tracks in the sand. She located it's source in a quiet part of the ship, behind a door guarded by two troopers. She was working out her plan to get past them when an alarm blared. The senior trooper said to his partner, "Intruders, let's go," and they ran towards the main body of the battle cruiser. _Oh no, _she thought, _it must be Poe, Finn, and Chewie. I have to find them, what if they need my help? _But the attraction grew stronger, as if it knew she was considering abandoning it, and her thoughts grew hazy, as if they weren't her own. _They're good fighters, they'll be fine, _she swore she heard rather than thought. She cautiously approached the door that held the source of her desire, but it remained shut. She pushed the buttons in the panel next to it but is still wouldn't open. She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and placed her palm against it and called upon the Force. Finally, it slid open and she slowly entered. After being in the dark glass lined rooms and hallways of the ship, the bright, stark white almost everywhere in this room made her squint. She walked down a short staircase to the main room of these chambers. A black stone pillar stood in the center of the room, but a shelf along the wall displaying several strange objects called her attention the strongest. A blue metal gauntlet with a rectangular gem on the back, a long stone cylinder, and several strange crystals all seemed to radiate a powerful energy that made her stomach churn with anxiety, anger, and fear. She forced herself away from the shelf and crossed to the black pillar. As soon as she realized what it displayed, shock and disbelief stunned her, and she was abruptly connected to Kylo Ren again.

"Where are you?" he asked. "You know I'll find you."

"I know you'll try," she replied, as they circled each other.

"I need to find you, you need to know the rest of your story, where you come from," he said.

"I already know. My parents were nobody, _I'm _nobody," she snarled.

"_They_ were nobody because they didn't realize who they were. Your father was the son of one of the most powerful beings the galaxy has ever known. _You_ are not nobody. _You _the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine."

"No," Rey whispered, shaking her head in denial. She drew her lightsaber and charged at Ren. "YOU LIE!" she screamed in rage. Ren drew his lightsaber and blocked her attack.

* * *

Poe, Finn, and Chewie continued to battle their way through the ship, and troopers fell as they slowly made their way to the _Falcon. _They turned and ran into a hub that joined several corridors, troopers running at them from all directions. They attempted to retreat, to find some way out, but they were surrounded. They stood with their backs to each other, prepared make a stand, when Poe took a blaster hit to his arm. He fell, and the troopers closed in on them.

"Drop your weapons," a trooper ordered. Chewie and Finn fell to their knees and surrendered their weapons.

"Hands out," the trooper ordered again, Poe had now risen to his knees as well, and offered his hands too. Three troopers came to them and fastened restraints on each of them, then pushed them into a sitting position in the middle of the hallway.

"What should we do with them?" the trooper that had put restraints on Poe asked his superior.

"I'm not making that decision," the leader answered. He activated the comm in his helmet. "We've captured the escaped Wookie and two other rebels. What should we do with them?" His head cocked briefly as he listened to the reply. "We're on level 5 at the junction of corridors B, D, and J." Another pause to listen. "Yes ma'am," he said tersely. "She's coming down here," he told his troops. In a few minutes, a First Order commander arrived.

"Ah," she said mockingly, "these are the ones who were with the girl Supreme Leader Ren wants," she said and moved closer to them, bending slightly to get down on their level, attempting to be intimidating. Chewie roared and tried to lunge for her, and a trooper pushed him back with a shock stick. The officer staggered back, her face flushed, embarrassed in front of her troops. "I was going to allow you to trade your lives for information on the girl. But now I'm not feeling so generous, and we will find her anyway. Execute them," she ordered and marched away.

"On your feet Resistance scum," one of the troopers said and as they were hauled up by their arms and taken away.

* * *

Rey felt rage surging through her body as she attacked Ren. She advanced on him, relentlessly striking out with her lightsaber, and he blocked every swing. He disengaged and backed away, but they continued to circle each other, gasping, weapons still poised to strike.

"I have **never** lied to you!" he yelled. "Snoke sent the First Order after your parents; they were being hunted and they didn't know why. So they left you on Jakku to keep you safe, but they were found soon after. They were tortured for information, but they still wouldn't tell anyone you were, so they were killed."

"NOOO!" she shrieked and rushed him again, unleashing a fury she had never felt before. He again blocked her attacks again and again and tried to push her back. As his lightsaber caught hers, she forced both blades down attempting to disarm him. The lightsabers smashed into the pillar at the center of the room, and the it and the melted helmet of Darth Vader splintered into a million pieces. As the shattered remains flew around Rey, Ren saw them and instantly knew what had happened and where it had happened.

"There you are," he growled and severed their connection. In Kijimi City, he raised his communicator as he strode to his shuttle. "The scavenger girl is in my quarters, lock down the ship!" he ordered the command center on the _Steadfast._

_He knows where I am, _she thought, panicked. _I need to get out of here! _She ran up the few steps to the door but as soon as it opened, she was met by a squad of troopers with their blasters pointed at her. She could not strike them all down before at least one of them got a shot off. She raised her hand in surrender and a trooper grabbed her lightsaber and placed her in restraints.

"Inform the Supreme Leader, we have the girl," the squad leader said into his helmet communicator. They were all silent a moment waiting for their orders. "Yes ma'am. Take her to docking bay 12. The Supreme Leader is arriving there to take her into custody himself."

* * *

Poe, Finn, and Chewie were taken to a small room and lined up against a wall for their executions. Three troopers standing just inside the door, raised their blasters and waited for their squad leader's order to fire when the door slid open. A tall, imposing figure none of them thought they would ever see again strode in. "What?" Finn whispered. He couldn't believe it, but no one else wore that high shine armor. "Phasma?"

"FN-2187," she said, contemptuously. "I heard you were going to get the traitor's death you deserve. I came to do it myself."

"At least I'll die free, with a real name. Which is more than any of you are ever going to have," Finn spat.

"Brave last words for scum," Phasma said and raised her blaster.

"Resistance scum," Finn said proudly and lifted his chin.

Phasma fired. When the smoke cleared, the other four troopers lay lifeless with precision blaster shots to the head.

"Wait, what?" Poe asked, dumbfounded when he realized he wasn't dead.

"I'm the First Order spy," she answered.

"But how?" Finn asked, still not believing what he saw in front of him. "You died! On the _Supremacy! _I saw it!"

The First Order trooper commander pulled off her chrome plated helmet. The right side of her face looked normal, the blue of her eye the same as the one Finn had seen through her broken helmet on the _Supremacy_. But the left side of her face, the side that had been exposed by that broken helmet was a ghastly, twisted mass of scars, with a red cyborg eye staring at them unblinkingly. The wheeze of a chest box breathing for her was now audible in the small room.

"I should have died on the _Supremacy," _she said, her voice a horrible rasp without the helmet speaker. "I was pulled from the wreckage and evacuated to a First Order experimental medical center. I was deemed too valuable to let die, so they 'rebuilt' me," she spat in disgust. "I'm more machine than anything else now, suffering in constant pain. But the physical pain isn't the worst. During the months of agony it took for them to rebuild me I had too much time to think. To contemplate the things I've done in the name of the First Order. To relive the murder of innocent civilians. To be haunted every time I close my eyes by the screams and cries of the children and families I destroyed to satisfy their lust for power. I decided I had had enough. I decided I would do everything I could to bring them down."

"Chrome dome!" Finn exclaimed in surprise. "You do have a soul!"

"Don't call me that," she said as she replaced her helmet. She released them from their restraints. Poe and Finn disarmed two of the dead troopers, and Phasma handed Chewie her blaster. "Point that at my back like I'm your hostage and follow me. I'll lead you to your ship. But first," she went to the comm panel by the door and opened a ship wide channel. "Attention all security, the Resistance prisoners have escaped. They are armed with explosives and intend to destroy the fighter fleet. All security squadrons report to the port side hangar bays to defend the fighters." She ended the comm call and turned back to them.

"That should keep most of them out of our way. Stay behind me as much as possible. My armor is blaster resistant; you are not. And if I turn to take my blaster, release it immediately, no hesitation – understand?" Chewie sounded a series of grunts. "I'll take it that he does. Let's go." She raised her hands, clasped them behind her head, and stepped out into the hallway.

* * *

Rey stood in the hangar bay, surrounded by security troops while Ren's shuttle landed. The gangway lowered and he strode off the ship. She started to walk to him, but the troopers stopped her. "Let her come," Ren ordered, and the troopers parted and allowed her to pass. As she approached him, he released her restraints with a wave of his hand, and they fell to the floor. He extended his arm and her confiscated lightsaber flew to him from the trooper who had been holding it. He examined it closely.

"You've built your own lightsaber. Your knowledge has increased since we last met, as has your power. You know why that is."

Rey glared at him. "It's because I worked hard. I studied, I trained."

"That and more," Ren said. "It's also because of your bloodline."

"Who told you I was a Palpatine?" she demanded. "Who could even know such a thing?"

"The Emperor told me."

"He's dead!" she insisted. "He's been dead for over 30 years!"

"No," Ren shook his head. "He used the powers of the Dark Side to escape death. Now he has shown me his presence and he will pass all he knows on to me. He wants to pass that knowledge to his grandchild too, Rey. He knows how powerful you are, and he has seen how powerful you will become! The Dark Side is calling to you, surrender to it!"

Rey shook her head. "No," she swore, "I would never be drawn to the Dark Side."

"Yes! You are!" Ren insisted, pointing a gloved finger at her. "That's why you were pulled to my quarters," the gloved finger now jabbing the air in the direction of his chambers. "The dark artifacts in my possession called to you! If we work together, we would be undefeatable!" He lowered his voice to a confidential croon. "Rey, we could fight Palpatine together and take the throne! I've seen our future. Now more than ever, Rey, I am certain we are meant to rule the galaxy together!" He extended his hand to her. She stared at it. "You know what you have to do Rey. You wanted to take my hand once, I felt it. Now, there's no other choice."

* * *

Phasma's ruse kept their path to the _Falcon _relatively clear. When they did cross paths with the few stragglers not protecting the fighters, her orders to "Stay back or they'll kill me!" were enough to allow them passage. But just as they made the last turn to their destination, a small squad of troopers was running towards them, weapons raised.

"Stop!" Phasma shouted at them. Their military training made them freeze in their tracks. But then, the close formation parted, and a First Order general stepped forward from behind them.

"Oh my! Captain Phasma," he said in mock dismay. "You've been taken hostage!"

Poe, Finn, and Chewie moved in closer together, as tightly behind Phasma as they could. "They overpowered their guards, Allegiant General. Then they ambushed me and made me bring them to their ship," she explained.

"Yes, an unfortunate turn of events," the general responded, almost sounding sympathetic. "What's more unfortunate for you is that I wanted to witness this execution. Imagine my surprise when I turned on the cameras in the execution chamber and observed the 'ambush' for myself." He turned to the troopers behind him. "It seems we have found our spy. Kill her," he ordered.

Captain Phasma spun, grabbed her blaster from Chewie, yelled "Run!" and opened fire on the squad as she completed her turn. The troopers scattered for cover and returned fire. The general disappeared in the confusion.

Phasma backed to the corner opposite the doorway to the hangar bay, dropped to a knee, and continued to provide cover as they ran across the hall to the hangar entrance. Just as they got inside, Phasma tried to advance on the squad and Finn saw her take two blasts to the chest and fall. "No!" he yelled and ran back towards her.

"Finn! We have to go! 3PO find Rey!" Poe shouted, crossing to the _Falcon. _Finn ignored him and ran to Phasma, just as she managed to raise her blaster enough to put a bolt through the heads of the last two remaining troopers and collapse.

"NO!" he shouted again as he reached her and pulled her head into his lap. He heard her death rattle even through her mask. She reached up, trying to remove her helmet, but her fingers had lost their feeling. Finn gently released the latches and pulled it off.

"Finn," she said, blood bubbling from her lips. "I'm glad you got a name. There are others. Others like you. Deserters. I've kept it hidden from the First Order as best I could. Find them," she coughed, spraying more blood from her broken body. She gasped and struggled to finish.

"No," Finn said. "Don't talk. We'll take you with us. We'll get you to a doctor…."

"No," she slightly smiled. "It's finished and I'm ready for it to be over. Find the others Finn, they'll fight with you. You are the ones who have the power to destroy the First Order. Here," she tried to reach up inside her armor to remove a chain around her neck. Finn took it off for her. It was an identity disk issued to First Order senior officers and commanders. "Use this to break through the lockdown and escape. And Finn," he had to strain to hear her fading voice. "I _am_ dying free, and my name is Siwa Wenst. Remember me," she whispered and went limp in his arms.

* * *

Rey's mind was spinning, trying to understand what Ren was saying to her. She heard the words, she knew what they meant, but the made no sense. She was Palpatine's granddaughter? He had her parents killed? _And he still lived_? That was something she would correct as soon as she could, she swore to herself. And she would do it alone, she would _never_ take Kylo Ren's hand.

"I did want to take your hand," she said softly. "Ben's hand." Relief flooded through her as she heard a familiar ship engine approaching. The _Falcon _came into view and hovered at the entrance of the hangar, the gangway lowered and Finn standing on it, yelling for her. She took advantage of the confusion the arrival of the most hated ship in the First Order caused. She raised her hand and called her lightsaber back from Ren. Then she turned and ran to the opening of the hangar and, summoning the Force to propel her, she jumped the impossible distance from the hangar bay to the _Falcon. _She landed on the gangway beside Finn and watched Ren as they sped away. Before the ship could make the jump to lightspeed, the destroyer's dorsal cannon managed a couple of direct hits. Poe engaged the hyperdrive and the _Falcon _blasted off for Pasaana.

* * *

Chapter notes:

The Sith artifacts here are: Neer's Gauntlet, a Seed of Rage, and several crystals of dark origin.

Phasma whaaaaaat? I could not buy Hux as the spy. Yes, he did want Kylo Ren to lose, but if the Resistance killed Ren, did Hux think they would just go away and leave the First Order alone with him as the Supreme leader? Makes no sense. So, I made the spy someone with a reason to want the First Order destroyed.

I didn't think that Kylo Ren would have any idea about the Force dyad. If he did he would have used it in the throne room in the _Supremacy _when he was begging Rey to join him. So it will come out later, I promise!

Phasma's name is my real name from one of those "What's your Star Wars name" memes.


End file.
